


It's Never Wise to Break a Deal

by doritosenpai



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: (Dipper and Mable are 20 when the plot actually gets going), BillDip, Human!Bill, M/M, Older!Dipper, go check her out she is amazing, the first chapter and a quarter are just flashback, this was inspired by the nerd!bill art made by elentori on tumblr
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-12
Updated: 2015-06-02
Packaged: 2018-03-30 07:04:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3927421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doritosenpai/pseuds/doritosenpai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bill isn't very happy about Gideon breaking off their deal from Dreamscaperers and he comes to get his revenge, but Gideon gives him a very tempting offer. It will take years to complete, but Gideon can get Bill exactly what he needs to destroy the Pines family once and for all, and Bill is going to have a lot of fun doing it. Only...things don't exactly go as planned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One: Gideon

**Author's Note:**

> The character we follow will change periodically, this first chapter is following Gideon (if you are ever unsure of which character is being followed just check the chapter title).

Chapter One: Gideon

Gideon flopped back onto his stiff cot with an exhausted huff. He'd been screaming for god only knew how long, one of his trademark tantrums, giving anyone who walked by an earsplitting rant on the "injustice" that was his imprisonment. A few threats to the Pines family were thrown in as well, just for good measure. The prison staff quickly learned to avoid his cell, leaving his voice to echo down an empty hallway for the better part of an hour.

Gideon rubbed his eyes tiredly and laid back. There wasn't exactly much else to do besides sleep at this point, and after all the screaming, and the fight he'd had with that damn Pines boy, a nap seemed extremely inviting. He'd let his eyes slip closed for only a moment when something small and hard hit him firmly on the head.

"Arg, what the-!"

Gideon's eyes snapped open to see a very yellow, very triangular demon staring down at him, his cane hovering just above the boys face and his eye drawn into a harsh glare. The world around him had dived into a grey monotone, which technically wasn't much of a change from the prison's normal coloring.

"It's you!" Gideon screeched, "This is all your fault demon, you useless-"

The dream demon snapped his fingers and Gideon was cut off mid sentence, his mouth having disappeared completely. 

"Oh no, I'm not having any of that," Bill seethed. "You broke our deal and that was a very, very stupid thing to do." His body was quickly turning red, his sclera becoming black and iris shifting to an irritated scarlet.

Gideon tried to protest that it wasn't his fault the demon hadn't been able to hold up his part of the deal, but all that managed to come out were muffled hums. 

"I don't care," Bill said, seeming to know exactly what the boy was failing to say. "Demon's don't take kindly to broken deals, their fault or not. Can't have someone going around spreading rumors of my 'failure' now can I?" he asked. "Certainly not good for business."

The demon snapped and Gideon's mouth returned, but he was too shocked to get any real words out. He didn't have his journal, or his talisman, he had nothing to protect him from this very obviously ticked off demon. He pushed himself back against the concrete wall beside his cot, trying to put as much space between the two of them as he could.

"Come on Cipher, le-let's talk about this," he stammered.

Bill seemed to consider his plea for a moment, his body flicking back to yellow. "Hmmm," he hummed, rubbing just below his eye. "How about no?" Bill's cane disappeared and his hands burst into flames, his body going red all over again. "Get ready for the nightmare of a lifetime kid!" 

"Wait!" Gideon screeched. 

He racked his brain for anything that might save him, sifting through all he'd learned of the supernatural to try and find something, anything, that might be of use to the demon. He had nothing, he'd lost everything, what could he possibly have to offer - unless?

The demon's flames had gotten alarmingly close to the boy's face and they felt hotter than anything he could describe. Sweat dripped freely down his face in an instant, and his hair began to droop down at an almost comical angle.

"I have another deal for you!"  


Bill stopped, once again flashing back to his usual yellow. The flames on his hands disappeared and he looked at the kid quizzically. "A deal you say? And what could an imprisoned, washed up meatsack like you have to offer me?" he asked.  
Gideon growled at the insult, but wasn't about to argue. "You hate the Pines family as much as I do, they humiliated you, and I know exactly what you need to destroy them and how to get it."

Bill's eyebrow raised in a slightly over dramatic fashion. "I'm listening."  
"You're a dream demon," Gideon stated, "You can't do much of anything outside of your realm or people's noggins right?"

Bill seemingly grimaced, his eye pulling downwards in irritation. "Technically," he spat, "I don't exactly have a good link to your world, makes it pretty hard for me to manifest my powers."

Gideon leaned forward, his confidence growing, he knew the demon couldn't possibly turn down what he had to offer. 

"But don't get cocky kid, I'm still more than capable of making your brain melt inside your skull," Bill warned.

Gideon faltered for a second, but quickly masked it, he had to remain at least a shred of self assurance if he wanted to make it through this.

"I can give you a body," Gideon said, "A physical form."

Bill stared at him for a second then burst out laughing. "Kid! What use could I possibly have for your body?!," he wheezed, "You're stuck here, and even if you weren't, my powers would kill you from the inside out if I even tried to use them." Bill's laughter died off abruptly and his hands lit up with blue flames again, "Sorry kid, not exactly a tempting offer."

Gideon's eyes went wide as the heat of Bill's flames returned. "No no no, hear me out, I wasn't finished!" he begged.

 

Bill sighed, his advances slowing, but not stopping. "Continuing to hear you open your mouth is getting real boring, you've got five seconds before I decide to create some 'entertainment.'" Bill's hands flared threateningly at the last word.

Gideon hunched back up against the wall, his eyes squeezed shut. "I can get you Dryden Brant's chest!" he blurted. Suddenly the heat was gone. Gideon slowly cracked open one eye. 

Bill was staring at him, wide eyed and completely silent. Gideon saw his chance.

"So you know who he is then?"

Fleeing religious persecution back in his home country, Dryden Brant had escaped to the New World in the early 1700s with a large store of magical knowledge. The man had been content to study in secret, until one day he stumbled upon a special incantation, one that promised great rewards to all who recited it. Oblivious to the consequences, Brant had gone along with the ritual, summoning one of the most powerful demons of his time, a creature even Bill had a respectful fear of, although he'd never admit it. 

The demon offered the man unlimited power, at a cost of course. The creature taught him the enchantments to create a ring that would link the demon's realm to the human one, opening up a channel of limitless power for the sorcerer to call upon whenever he wished. The enchantment required a heavy sacrifice though, the blood of his lover, all of it, and half of the man's lifespan were drained to open the channel, but it was worth it. He had nearly infinite power at his fingertips, he could heal whatever damage the ring's creation caused him, he could bring back his dead fiancee. He could do anything, the thought alone was intoxicating. 

In return the man agreed to give the demon a human body. Created through magic alone, the vessel would belong solely to the demon, and be strong enough to handle the use of their powers. 

The demon specifically stated that Brant was not to use the ring for his own purposes until the body had been created. Fearful of the consequences of betraying his new mentor, he complied. 

However, the villagers began to notice that the man living in the woods just outside the settlement was acting strangely. His fiancee hadn't been seen in weeks and he had become even more reclusive than usual. They had thought it was merely grief at first that kept him shut behind the door of his small secluded home, but eventually a group of men were sent out to investigate after the dying screams of some unknown animal had pierced through the air on not just one night, but several.

The sorcerer had been cocky, leaving his home unprotected from prying eyes, he felt safe in the New World, never expecting anyone to dare try and check up on him. The men easily barged in to discover runes on the floor and candles, melted down to near stumps from the previous night's incantation, strewn around in meticulously measured setups. The sorcerer was tucked into a bed in the corner, in a near comatose sleep, his energy completely spent after his last spell. 

The men wasted no time. One pulled a knife from his belt and sank it into the neck of the sleeping sorcerer. They weren't going to let such a dangerous heretic live,certainly not so close to their home. If only they had known what they'd really stopped. The demon was outraged, their chance for power and chaos in the human plane was ruined, they had been so close and those close minded ignorant fleshbags had ruined everything! The demon seethed within their realm, but they had no real way to physically punish the town, their link to the human realm had ended with Brant's death. 

The demon used its limited link to the human world to leave a small curse on the town, the worst they could manage to push through the small magical channel. The crops failed to grow that year and the town was fated to bad luck for months, they didn't even make it through the winter. But, even with everyone dead, frozen or starving or both, the demon wished they could have torn every last meatsack limb from limb for their insolence.

Before they had vanished however, the men of the town had searched the sorcerer's house, stumbling upon a small chest in a side closet. The chest had no visible keyhole and was made of deep red wood, it sides carved with small intricate runes, wards that not only protected the box from prying hands, but magical prying eyes as well. No one could track the box through magic, if you didn't know its location you were out of luck. Nestled within its confines were the ring and several pages of the sorcerer's most powerful spells, including the one to give a demon human form. Not knowing what to do with the strange box, the townsfolk had buried it deep in the ground. As far as anyone knew, it remained unfound.

"Of course I know who he is you stupid meatsack! All seeing demon, remember?" The glare he gave Gideon felt as though it were physically boring through his skull, but he swallowed and ignored it.

"You aren't as all seeing as you let on Cipher, that ring's protected. You won't be able to find it without my help."

Somehow Bill managed to glare at the boy even harder, but Gideon wasn't about to back down now. "And how exactly did you get this information?"

"The Author."

Bill's eye shot back to a gleaming red, "Don't lie to me kid, you're on thin ice as it is. I watched that silly Author of yours very closely, if he found out the location of that damn box, I would have known." 

Gideon held up his hands, "I know, I know, he didn't have the location, but he did have some theories. Using what he left in the second journal I managed to narrow it down, if you just give me a bit of time to do a bit more resear-"

Bill flew up alarming close to the boy's face, growing to twice his original size, Gideon staring terrified into an eye nearly as big as his head and hair combined. "Ok, let's say I do? If I so much as begin to expect you can't hold up your end of the bargain, you mind is mine, got it?"

Gideon swallowed hard. "Y-Yes sir," he stammered.

Bill's eye turned upwards in a cruel grin, his arm extending forward to offer an open, flame covered hand. "Good, now let's hash out these details."

"Alright," the boy started shakily. He was starting to wonder if this was really the best course of action, but, if he didn't, he was a good as dead. At this point, what did he have left to lose? "I give you the box and a body, and you use it to destroy the Pine's family, getting them both out of our hair. In return you don't harm me - ever."  
Bill chuckled, "Promise you won't use that ring on me and you got yourself a deal kid!" Gideon nodded eagerly. With that the demon's hand shot forward to grasp the boy's. Bill tried not to cringe, the hand was squishy and unnervingly sweaty, rather disgusting really, but hey, a deal's a deal.


	2. Chapter 2: Bill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So I have this whole story outlined now and it looks like this fic is going to be roughly 24 chapters, I'm going to try and update once a week on either Mondays or Tuesdays (it'll probably change week to week lol). Also just a warning, i used google translate for the latin in this chapter....so yeah don't judge me.

"Well, it's certainly been fun kid," Bill said, leaning back contently, "But i gotta scram, got other nightmares to attend to ya know?"

The look Gideon gave the demon was absolutely priceless. "Wait wha- No! You-You can't leave me here! We had a deal!"

"Course I can!" Bill beamed. "You never made me promise anything about getting you out of here."

Gideon's hands balled into tiny fists, held tightly at his sides. "And how exactly am I supposed to get you what you want when I'm stuck here!" he spat.

"Yeesh, relax you little brat, I'll come back for ya, don't worry." Bill's eye hardened for a moment. "Don't you think it'd be a bit suspicious if you disappeared the same day you got locked up?"

The boy looked up at him wearily, then averted his gaze. Bill took that both as an answer and his cue to leave, he'd wasted enough time on the little munchkin already.

***************  
It was a year before Bill deemed it safe enough to break Gideon out. It had been fun watching him rot in the meantime, although the tantrums were certainly annoying. Bill made sure to avoid those at all costs.

Bill silently slipped into the mind of the prison overseer one night, planting small messages in her dreams, subtle yet direct little whispers. They did their job well. The overseer took a new liking to Gideon not long after and within a month, decided that he had served enough time for his crimes. She had him released to his father without any announcement to the public, per Gideon's request. Bill watched over the events with amusement, it was hilarious how easily manipulated some humans were.

Finding the location of the chest however was not so easily done. Two years had passed since his release, and Gideon had only managed to narrow the box's potential hiding spot down from New England to the state of Massachusetts. 

Another year passed and it was narrowed down to a small group of towns on the state's coastline to the east. Bill was trying not to get impatient, the boy was actually doing really well, he was probably closer to solving the mystery than anyone in the last three hundred years, but it was hard. 

His insides itched at the thought of all the days the Pine's family had been left to live unpunished. Unknown to Gideon, Bill had plans for Gravity Falls, big plans, and the Pine's had inadvertently halted them. With Stanley back out of the portal, and the journals in their meaty little hands, Bill couldn't risk putting his plan into action, they knew too much, they'd catch on too quickly, it was infuriating. He'd been planning for far too long and he wasn't about to let a group of stupid meat bags ruin all his work, not now, not ever. He vowed to swallow his frustration and wait things out.

Not far into the fifth year since the deal's making, Gideon had done it. 

“Are you sure this is the right place,” Bill asked.

Gideon shot him an annoyed glance. He hadn’t gotten much taller over the past few years, a fact Bill loved to tease him about. He had to give the kid a bit of credit though, he'd at least gotten rid of that god awful pompadour of his, opting for a short, easy to style, cropped look. The change helped him look a bit more his age, which was rather hard considering his short, stocky build.

"It better be after all that work I did," he grumbled, his gaze shifting back down to the map in his hands. "Anyway this is the only place on the coastline that has all the landmarks from the original lore. The old settlement should be just beyond those trees."

Despite the demon's curse lifting after the deaths of the settlers, no one had dared to inhabit the land after such a disastrous start. The woods had easily reclaimed what little territory they had lost, leaving little to no evidence anyone had actually ever been there. But, as Gideon stepped around a small thicket of bushes, he spotted exactly what he was looking for, a short, crumbling stone wall. It had acted as a property line marker back when Brant had first built his house, a subtle message for the rest of the town to keep away, yet a common enough occurrence that it bothered no one. 

Gideon followed along the wall, Bill floating not far behind him. It was overgrown with plants of all kinds and many of the stones had been pushed out of place by their growth. Gideon muttered to himself, scanning the wall for any discoloration. A moment later he shot Bill a triumphant grin and shot forward towards a dark black stone that stood out against its gray surroundings. 

"Were they seriously dumb enough to mark the burial spot?" Bill mused. "Honestly, how can you expect to keep something like that hidden when you place a god damn marker over it?"

"Does it really matter?" Gideon asked. "Besides, unless you knew what to look for, it'd still be easy to miss. And they didn't put it right over the box, it should be six feet to the left of here from what the lore said."

"Still not the smartest of ideas," Bill muttered, but the boy was right, it didn't really matter. What mattered was finding the box.

Gideon took a few steps from the stone and dropped the the bag he'd been carrying onto the ground, fishing out a small shovel. Getting onto both knees, he dug the blade into the moist soil, heaving up a handful and dumping it to the side. Thirty minutes later he had made a roughly four foot by two foot hole, the dirt beside him piled high. He drove the shovel down again only to hear a soft 'thunk'. 

Bill beamed at him. "Good work kid. Now get that thing up here."

Abandoning the shovel Gideon slipped his fingers down into the hole, feeling around for the edges of the box. Once he had slipped his fingers under the lip of the lid, he started to inch the box upwards. The earth was reluctant to release it after so many years, but with a final sharp tug, it popped free, Gideon stumbling back a bit from the sudden absence of resistance. 

The box was absolutely filthy, but was otherwise remarkably undamaged. The wood should have rotted away years ago, but the magic woven into its creation kept it looking just as it had three hundred years ago. 

It was a rather unassuming thing and was much smaller than Gideon had expected. It fit easily inside his two hands. Just as the lore had described, the box had no visible opening and the sides were carved with small intricate runes, spelling out a long, yet not entirely complex, incantation of protection. Bill had told Gideon not to worry about the ward, the runes weren't difficult for him to read in the slightest and his knowledge of magic was far beyond what Brant could have ever dreamed of. He could easily instruct the boy on how navigate around the spell.

Gideon held out the box for the demon to inspect, Bill flying in close to read the runes. 

"This is some pretty simple magic," he said. "Brant might have had a demon on his side to teach him the spells but he certainly wasn't very powerful. A novice could have broken through these I mean really, no wonder he wanted that ring."

Gideon squinted at the box, as if the extra focus would help him better understand the strange symbols. "So how do I break it open then?" he asked.

Bill moved to place his hand onto Gideon's forehead and the boy jumped back in surprise. "I thought I said no going in my head Cipher!" he spat.

Bill shot him an annoyed glare. "Yeesh kid, you want the spell to break this or not? Just let me do my job alright, this is the easiest way to teach you."

Gideon's eyes narrowed, but he stayed put as the demon approached once more. Bill's hand rested just above the boy's brow, the skin still just as annoyingly greasy as it had been back when they'd shook hands to seal their deal. Bill ignored the unnerving sensation and implanted the incantation into the kid's mindscape. Gideon squirmed as he felt the new memory shift into place, but he didn't try to move away again. 

Bill floated back lazily. "Alright, get to work kid."

Gideon placed the box onto the ground and grunted as he shuffled to sit down beside it. Placing his hands overtop the lid he began to mutter quietly, the carved runes glowing faintly as he began to chant.

"Hostibus faciatis euanuit anteponerent manu tua munitus contents parati liberatus"

A bright line of blue light flashed under the lid's lip, burning a seam into the dark red wood. Gideon lifted the lid cautiously, as if he expected another ward to be protecting the contents inside, which, to be fair, was a decent assumption. Bill wasn't nearly as cautious however, having been able to read the runes, he knew with certainty that there was no other protection on the inside. He hovered eagerly over the boys shoulder.

"Get on with it kid, it's not gonna explode."

Gideon shot him a quick glare, but did as instructed, the boy had learned over the years that fighting the demon's comments was pretty much useless. He pulled the lid up the rest of the way, revealing a small pocket of stiff yellowing papers. Gideon pulled the papers out gently, laying them on top of his bag so they wouldn't soak up the moisture from the ground. The remaining content was wrapped in a small cloth bag, nestled deep into on of the corners. 

Gideon pulled the bag out and dumped it out onto his waiting palm. A thick band of smooth black stone tumbled out between his fingers. He looked up at Bill expectantly.

The demon's eye flickered, quickly turning up into a mischievous grin. "Gotta admit kid, I'm impressed, now let me see those papers." Gideon picked up the pile, careful not to disturb them too much, and placed them in the tiny hands of his demonic companion.

Bill flipped through them quickly, glancing through the haphazard cursive impatiently. He stilled as he skimmed the second to last page and sighed.

Gideon shot him a worried glance, "W-what? Is it not-Is something-"

"Relax kid, yes the spell is here and no nothing is wrong with it, this is just gonna take a bit longer than we were anticipating."

Gideon groaned. "What now Cipher?"

"This spell requires some pretty specific materials to complete and unfortunately for us, they aren't the kinds of things that are easy to come by."

"Like what?"

"Well, you need candles carved with certain enchantments, not exactly hard to make, but definitely time consuming. Then there's the matter of gathering the necessary plants and creature remains," Bill said, gesturing vaguely at the paper in his hands.

Gideon gaped at him. "Remains?! For what exactly?"

Bill rolled his eye. "You really are an idiot. You can't just build a body out of nothing, that's ridiculous. You need some organic material to build off of, and the more powerful the creature it comes from, the better."

"I don't think I like where this is going," Gideon stammered.

Bill poked him hard in the chest, his eye narrowing. "Too bad kid, we've got a deal. Time to start brushing up on you tracking skills. I should probably teach you some defensive magic while we're at it, some of these plants have some wicked teeth."

"Teeth?! Since when did plants have teeth?!"

Bill chuckled at the kid's reaction. "Ever heard of a Venus fly trap? Picture that. But bigger. With three mouths." Gideon visibly paled, causing the demon to laugh a bit harder.

"This isn't funny you filthy triangle!"

"Actually yeah, it really is."

Gideon growled at him, which only aided in making Bill's laughter increase.

"Shut up!" the boy snapped.

Bill sighed. "Yeesh alright alright, you're really no fun. You know that right?"

Gideon ignored him and attempted to slip the ring over one of his fingers but Bill's hand shot out, grabbing his wrist firmly.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"What are you on about now Cipher?" Gideon asked tiredly.

"There's a reason human's can't maintain that kind of power level without a talisman. You fragile little fleshbags can't handle something like that. If you wear that ring for two long, or use it too much, the energy from the open channel will burn you up from the inside out. And poof, no more Gideon."

The teen slipped the ring back into the cloth bag cautiously, his brow furrowed. "Good to know," he muttered. 

"Come on kid, time's a'wasting!" Bill shouted, placing the papers back into the box. "Let's get this scavenger hunt rolling!"

"You know, for a demon, you are infuriatingly cheery," Gideon grumbled.

"Oh course I am," Bill beamed. "Evil's fun!"

"True, true," he mused, dropping the cloth bag overtop the yellowed spells. "Hey, do I need to lock this up again?"

"Nah, don't worry about it. The thing seals up again when you close it. You'll need to remember that spell I thought you if you want to open it again. Not that you'll actually forget, I planted that memory deep, just to be safe."

Just as the demon had said, after the teen had eased the lid back down, the blue light returned. The flash dwindled quickly, revealing that the opening seam was now indeed gone. Gideon slipped the small box into his bag and hefted it over his shoulder. Bill had been right, they really did need to get going.

"Come on Cipher," he sighed, "We have some plans to make."


	3. Chapter 3: Bill and Gideon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, updating a day early :) sooo this chapter was supposed to be longer, but with the way it turned out, I had to put the rest of the events into another chapter. Also, due to a small time skip, the first half of this is from Bill's perspective and the second half is from Gideon's (the switch is marked), so sorry about that, that's just kinda what happened while I was writing. This chapter was really fun to write, hope you all enjoy! :)

(This half is from Bill's perspective)  
Time consuming had been a bit of an understatement on Bill's part. The last three years since they had uncovered the box had been filled with countless searches through online occult shops and more than a few brushes with death. There had been one particularly interesting night in a Washington forest that had nearly left Gideon disintegrating in a glob of acidic tree sap.

They’d been after a handful of dragon scales, if you could really call them that. Bill considered the thing to be more of an overgrown gecko than anything else. No wings, no fire, really, calling it a dragon seemed a bit of a stretch to him. The creature had raced after them, jumping nimbly through the branches overhead, globs of acrid smelling sap hurling out of it’s open mouth whenever they got within range. It wouldn’t hurt Bill of course, benefits of being in the Mindscape and all, but Gideon was not so lucky. He clutched his arm to his side tightly, hissing as the flesh of his forearm sizzled and burned. 

They’d snuck up on the creature as it slept amongst the trees, Gideon ascending the one it lounged in as quickly and quietly as possible, stopping just above the snoring dragon’s ribcage. Stuck in the bark of the trunk were several dull green scales. The creature must have rubbed against the tree a bit to hard in its haste for a good rest, luckily enough, making the boy’s job a hell of a lot easier, and more importantly, safer.

Gideon let out a soft exhale, leaning over carefully to pluck up the scales. Bill kept his eye on the dragon warily, expecting the thing to wake at the boy’s scent, predators tended to wake pretty quickly when they sensed prey nearby. And Gideon was very much nearby. 

"Hurry up kid," Bill hissed. "This thing isn't gonna be asleep forever."

Gideon's hand tightened around the trunk, knuckles white with irritation, and sent the demon a silent glare as he snatched up the last few scales.

'At least he's smart enough to keep his mouth shut.'

The dragon beneath them shifted suddenly, stretching in its sleep. Gideon let out a sharp yelp, his hand slipping off the trunk in surprise. He grasped desperately at the air, but it was too late. He was falling past the branches around him, their leaves whipping across his face and limbs. Gideon hit the ground hard, the wind knocked painfully from his lungs. The fall hadn't been too far thankfully, but his joints protested regardless as he tried to shift back onto his feet.

"Kid! Now really isn't the time for dawdling!" Bill growled, pulling the boy to his feet roughly and dragging him through the underbrush. There was a groggy rumbling behind them and the sound of something large and rough slithering against the bark overhead. Gideon picked up his speed, breaking into a full on sprint, praying to every god and spirit he could think of that the damn thing wouldn't spot them. 

"Remember that teleportation spell?" Bill asked worriedly. This was not a good time for the kid to die, he needed the little munchkin still. 

Gideon knew not to mistake the tone for concern. "What? Of course!" he panted. Bill wasn't able to discern if the unease in his voice was from the monster or from uncertainty in his own response. Well, he'd find out soon enough.

An earsplitting roar shattered the relative quiet and the tree's behind them began to shake violently as the dragon started it's pursuit. It had caught Gideon's scent. No amount of hiding would save him now, it was teleport or die. 

"Well if you know it so well, then start reciting! Or do you want to end up dead?"

Gideon tried to glare over at him, but both his fear and the need to keep his eyes on the forest ahead had him abandoning that task pretty quickly. He let out an irritated growl and began to let out of first line of the incantation. His words held a surprising amount of confidence, considering what was chasing them. Bill smirked, the kid might make a fine sorcerer after all.

A glob of thick amber sap hurtled past them, alarmingly close to Gideon's left side. The boy's words faltered and he hissed in pain as a few stray droplets splashed his forearm. To his credit he didn't slow down.

"Not good enough kid!"

Gideon ignored the demon, rushing to get the last of the incantation out before he became liquefied dragon chow. He stumbled over the last word as another firing of sap flew directly over his head. The teen shut his eyes tight, completely expecting the spell to fail after that untimely screw up. 

A second later, the world was quiet, and much much brighter. Gideon cracked open an eye to find himself in a deserted hallway, much to his surprise. The fluorescent lighting was a harsh change from the dim moonlight of the forest and Gideon rubbed at his eyes roughly, willing them to adjust faster. The wall across from him was littered with maps and flyers of state hunting policies.

 

“Where-”

“Hunting lodge, at the edge of the forest. Come on, we need to get your arm looked at.”

“Can’t you just, I don’t know, teach me a healing spell or something?” the teen grumbled.

Bill rolled his eye and tapped his foot impatiently. “Kid, you just teleported us over two miles and you couldn't even pick a location! You body just sent us as far as it could go, it was sloppy honestly, and to think I had actually thought you were doing well. There is no way in hell you have the kind of energy or experience in you to pull off that kind of magic.”

Gideon ignored the insults with a sigh, the demon was right after all. He had been sloppy, he'd let his fear distract him, and now he felt as if he’d just run a marathon...or three. 

“Alright, but how am I supposed to explain this once we get to the hospital? I can’t exactly tell them I got chased down by an acid spitting gecko.”

Bill let out a piercing laugh, causing the teen to jump back in surprise. “It’s funny how dumb you are,” he wheezed, “Dream demon, remember kid? Messing with the mind is what I do best! Those doctor’s won’t be asking you any unnecessary questions, trust me.” 

It took two weeks, and an excessive number of threats, for Bill to convince Gideon to go on another retrieval. Luckily for the demon, the kid knew what was at stake if he disobeyed.

*****************************  
(The story shifts to Gideon's perspective here)  
Now, several months after the dragon incident, Gideon was hunched over in a clearing, deep in the woods of Gravity Falls, carving large geometric runes into the soil. It had been eight years since that night in the prison, and the deal he'd made with the triangular demon was finally starting to pick up speed.

Bill hovered behind the boy, practically pulsating in his excitement, his form flickering with solf flashes of yellow light. His fingers began to twitch in anticipation, tonight, tonight he would finally be free. 

“Can you hurry it up,” he hissed.

Gideon let out an exasperated sigh, not bothering to look up from his work. “Maybe if you stopped interrupting me every five seconds, I’d be able to get this done faster,” he growled. 

The demon shifted around restlessly, like more like a hyperactive child than an all knowing supernatural creature. 

“You’re lucky I can’t hurt you kid.” Gideon simply ignored him, he was used to that kind of talk by now. 

The teen shifted back up to his feet and brushed the dirt from his dress pants, like Bill he preferred to keep himself looking rather, well...dapper. He grabbed the bag he’d dropped nearby and began to fish through it, smiling triumphantly as he pulled out eight intricately carved black candles. They were placed evenly around the perimeter of the main rune, each one lit carefully at a snap of Gideon’s fingers. Bill perked up subtly at watching the little meatsack use his magic so easily. Finally, Gideon picked up a large wooden bowl, filled to the brim with all of the plants, scales, teeth, and bones the two had collected over the years. He placed it in the center of display, shooting Bill a wary grin.

“Alright Cipher, get in the circle.”

The demon flashed even brighter, nearly blinding the boy and flew above the bowl he had placed down. Gideon stepped to the edge of the runes and let his thumb brush over the ring in his pocket. He'd left the box and spell papers at home, he didn't need them, he'd memorized every word of the incantation. It had been surprisingly short, which suited him just fine. He swallowed back the nervous bile threatening to creep up his throat and slipped the band over his right ring finger. Immediately he began to feel magical energy flow through his veins, it burned dully and the bile he'd swallowed tried to make a reappearance.

The teen glanced down at his hand worriedly, not exactly enjoying the new sensation. He clenched his fingers and in a brief moment of weakness asked, "Is this spell going to kill me?" 

The demon smirked mischievously, "Course not kid, that'd break our deal remember? I'm not allowed to hurt you, and that includes forcing you to do life threatening spells."

Gideon attempted to relax his hands, pressing them firmly against his legs. He let out a shaky breath and knelt back onto the ground, placing his sweaty palms up against two small circles carved into the soil. Taking a deep breath he grasped onto the power supplied by the ring, willing it through his fingers and out over the lines of the runes as he exhaled. 

The carvings around him began to glow a bright, furious blue, as did the boy's eyes. He let out a startled gasp, his insides felt as though they were on fire, his blood seemed to boil beneath his skin. But it was too late for him to stop.

The demon in the circle went suddenly still as Gideon began the spell. "Vas chaos daemoni igneo carnis et ossis et dabo tibi."

The bowl beneath Bill lit aflame, wafts of smoke drifting lazily upwards to curl around his triangular form. He shut his eye tight and when it burst back open, it was the same brilliant blue as Gideon's. 

"Sit nunc uires sustinuerit in munitionibus tuis et opitulando."

The smoke wrapped around Bill completely until all Gideon could see was the faint glowing of his eye through the murk. Sweat trickled down the boy's forehead, stinging his eyes as he forced himself to spit out the last line. His organs felt as though they were melting inside of him and everything hurt.

"Venam aperiamus autem transiens saeculi incolunt meis tibi nova quaerere locum!" 

The clearing exploded in light, the flames from the bowl jumping high, engulfing the spot where Bill had last been seen. Then, just as quickly as it came, it died down, leaving thick trails of smoke to roll over the remains of the runes.

Gideon slumped to the ground, all his energy gone. His breathing was labored as he struggled to push himself back up to his elbows. Through his blurry vision he could see a shadow moving towards him through the smoke. 

As the figure drew closer, the teen began to make out more details. It was a thin, short young man, maybe twenty three at most, with bronze skin and splashes of dark freckles covering his cheeks and nose. His hair was a mess of sandy blond that stuck out every which way. It took only a moment for the teen to realize that the man before him was unfortunately also very, very naked.

Gideon covered his eyes with a hand. "Put some clothes on Cipher," he groaned, leaning up to remove his jacket and hand it to the demon.

Bill chuckled, but grabbed the coat anyway, slipping it over his narrow shoulders. The garment was far too big, but would have to do for now, the two had been so focused on the completion of the spell that they'd neglected to consider what might happen afterward, including the need for fresh clothing.

After fiddling with the buttons for a moment Bill shot the teen a toothy grin, "You can look up now kid, I'm covered."

Gideon peaked between his fingers, and satisfied that the demon hadn't been lying, shifted back into a seated position and looked up at him. Bill's gaze was...alarming, to say the least. One eye was a brilliant amber gold, that seemed to flash like an animal's when the light hit it just right. The other was milky, clearly not capable of sight, but underneath the murky surface, Gideon could make out the remnants of a piercing, icy blue iris. 

Bill knelt down and hefted Gideon up to his feet, letting one of the boy's arms drape over his shoulder for support. The teen let out a muffled cry, his body aching from the excessive use of magic. 

"Suck it up kid, we gotta get back to your house," he said with a roll of his eyes. After spending so much time together, Bill was easily able to drag Gideon back to his house without directions. The boy refused to speak to him the entire walk back, clearly miffed by the demon's lack of concern, regardless of the fact that he'd expected it.

Once they were safely inside the house Bill dropped Gideon roughly onto the couch. He shifted up quickly to shoot out an angry retort, but the demon had already disappeared down the hall. The teen decided it wasn't worth it to chase after him, seeing as he'd dropped the boy's coat in the entrance to the hall. Gideon sent a silent thank you to the forces of fate that his parents were not home to see a naked demon wandering around their house.

A few moments later Bill reappeared wearing a plain black T-shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants, ends of which were rolled up to accommodate for his short legs. Gideon tried to hold back a smirk. 'Damn demon is barely taller than I am,' he thought snuggly.

As Gideon glanced back over at Bill, he realized that the clothes he was wearing struck him as oddly familiar, they certainly weren't his, so who-

Gideon pinch the bridge of nose tightly, "Cipher, why on Earth are you wearing my mother's clothes?"

Bill looked at him with a puzzled expression, "Well I certainly wasn't going to fit into any of your's, or any of your father's for that matter. Besides these are soft, your mother has nice taste in fabric."

"Aaanyway," Bill drawled, "I'll see you later, the Pines family isn't going to destroy themselves." The demon started walking towards the door, but with strength he didn't realize he had left, Gideon shot off the couch and grabbed his shoulder, keeping him still."

"Wait wait wait. We haven't even discussed this yet! You can't just wing it, we need a plan!"

Bill's amber eye flickered red in irritation, the other one remaining surprisingly normal. "Are you doubting me kid?" He pulled his shoulder out of the teen's grasp sharply. "I know what I'm doing, don't ever doubt that, got it?" Bill poked his finger into Gideon's chest lightly, as if the red in his eye weren't enough to prove his point. 

"All you need to know," Bill said slowly, "Is that I'm going to take my time. I've been waiting far too long for this, and I will not give those damn meatsacks the mercy of a quick demise!"

"But-But our deal! You said-"

Bill grabbed the collar of Gideon's shirt, pulling him in close. "I said nothing about making this quick, you have no right to interfere kid, I haven't broken any rules," he growled. He shoved Gideon back, the boy's feet stumbling, causing him to flop back onto the couch with an "Oof!" 

Bill shot him one last burning glance as he began to slip out the door, "Stay out of my way kid, and let me do my work."


	4. Author's Note

Hey guys, just a heads up, I'm going to be taking a quick break from this fic so I can work on my rev!falls one, but I should have this one back up and running in maybe a weekish? Don't worry, I'm not abandoning this, I just have some hella motivation for this other fic and I just NEED to write it and get it out of my system. It won't be as long as this story (not by a long shot) so it won't take me too long to finish. Thanks for all your nice comments so far and thanks for being underatanding. I appreciate you all so much! :D

**Author's Note:**

> Hope this first chapter is ok guys, beginnings are hard merp >-


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